Thread pulling and winding device



March 1, 19 0 M. FELDSTEIN ETAL 2,925,416

THREAD PULLING AND WINDING DEVICE Filed Oct. 9, 1957 INVENTORSMAKSYMILIAN FeLns'rEm BY HARRY J. FRIEND ELM-4% Arron/er United StatesPatent THREAD PULLING AND WINDING DEVICE Maksymilian Feldstein and HarryJ. Friend, Miami, Fla.

Application October 9, 1957, Serial No. 689,102

2 Claims. (Cl. 28-17) This invention relates to a thread pulling andwinding device.

In various manufacturing or processing operations, it is often necessaryto remove thread from various fabric or textile blanks. For example, inthe manufacture of sweaters and similar knitwear, the elementsconstituting the sweaters are continuously fed from the knittingmachines and with the elements being connected together by threads.Before they can be used in production, these elements must be separatedfrom each other by WtihdraW- ing the threads that bind them together.Heretofore, this was performed by a manual operation which, in additionto being costly, was also a time consuming operation which tended toslow down the manufacturing process for the finished article andfrequently resulted in damage to the hands of the operator during suchmanual pulling. Therefore, the primary object of the present inventionis to provide means for quickly and easily pulling the connectingthreads and winding them upon a suitable winding drum.

The invention contemplates a winding drum that is provided with aplurality of radially projecting pins for hooking engagement with thethreads to be pulled and with the drum being disposed upon a drivenshaft in concentric relation to be driven by a suitable prime mover andwith collars disposed upon the shaft and engageable with the drum at itsopposite ends whereby to removably lock the drum in driven engagementwith the shaft.

The invention further contemplates a winding drum having spaced apartand radially staggered pins and with the pins being in such staggeredrelation to each other that at any given point of stopping of the drum,at least one of the .pins will be upstanding to a degree that permitsthe next thread to be wound to be con nected thereto.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be moreclearly apparent during the course of the following description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has beenillustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like charactersof reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the severalfigures.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a winding device embodying the invention andassociated with a worktable whereon is supported the elements to beseparated by the pulling of the threads,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a winding drum having radial pins,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section, shghtly enlarged, takenon line 4-4 of Figure l, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse section taken substantially on line55 of Figure 2.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates aworktable upon which is disposed the series of knitted elements 6 thatare knitted and connected together as, they are fed from the knittingmachine, by threads 7. The elements 6 are usually knitted in tubularform when constituting such articles as sweater elements and it becomesnecessary, that these elements be subsequently separated by pulling thethreads 7 outwardly after clipping one end. The particular article hereillustrated serves as an example of other articles that are continuouslyknitted and connected in a continuous strip from the knitting machineand the invention is in no sense restricted to the use of the inventionto be hereinafter described.

Disposed preferably parallel to and adjacent the worktable 5, is a table8. The table 8 may be of the same height as the table 5 and supported bylegs 9. Fixed upon the surface of the table 8 are a pair of spaced apartjournal bearings 10, rotatably supporting an elongated shaft 11. Theshaft 11 is intermittently driven through the medium of a pulley 12,driven by a prime mover 13, such as an electric motor, through themedium of a flexible belt 14. The prime mover 13 is intermittentlyactuated in a conventional manner by any suitable treadle switch, notshown that is positioned adjacent the footof the operator for convenientuse and whereby the operator may shift the knitted articles along thetable 5, start the thread 7 outwardly of the knitted article and thenactuate the prime mover for pulling and winding the thread. The shaft 11extends beyond one journal bearing 10, as clearly illustrated and isprovided with a cylindrical collar 15, that is fixed for rotation withthe shaft by a set screw 16. Shiftably disposed upon the outer end ofthe shaft extension, is a second cylindrical collar 17, adjustably fixedupon the shaft by a suitable set screw 18.

The Winding drum, see particularly Figure 3 embodies a cylindrical andpreferably metallic drum 19, open at its opposite ends. The drum 19 isadapted to be disposed over and in concentric relation to the shaft 11to be supported upon the collars 15 and 17 by set screws 16 and 18respectively and whereby the collars constitute the driving means forthe drum 19. The drum 19 is apertured as illustrated particularly at 20in Figure 5 for the frictional or threaded insertion of pins 21 so thatthe pins project beyond the surfaces of the drum an equal distance. Theapertures 20 and the pins are equidistantly spaced along the length ofthe drum and with the apertures and pins being circumferentiallystaggered so that in substantially all positions of stopping of thedevice, at least one pin will be substantially upstanding for thereception of the next thread to be engaged thereover.

Operation With the collar 15 fixed upon the shaft 11 adjacent onejournal bearing 10, a drum 19 and its associated pins are slipped overthe shaft extension to engage the collar 15, after which the collar 17is engaged with the shaft and is shifted to engagement Within the freeend of the drum 19 after which the set screws 16 and 18 respectively aretightened thus fixing the assembly for operation. As the knittedmaterial is shifted along the table 5, the operator clips the end of thethread 7 and pulls the opposite loop end outwardly a sufficient distanceto hook the thread over an upstanding pin 21. The treadle switch is thenactuated, causing the prime mover 13 to drive the shaft and the drum 19in a direction to wind the thread 7 upon the drum, completely pullingthe thread from the knitted material and separating the elements forsubsequent use. This action is continued as the material constitutingthe knitted articles are fed from the knitting machine and the drum 19is calculated to having a capacity of substantially a days work. Withthe pins 21 in spaced apart relation, the drum is substan- 3 tiallyfilled at the end of the day and after the winding has been completed, acutting knife is employed to slice through the windings longitudinallyof the drum, permitting the threads to fall away. It has been founddesirable, to avoid a too frequent sharpening of the cutting knife, tolay a strip of cardboard upon the drum longitudinally and with the stripbeing manually held during the first winding of a thread, after whichthe thread will hold the strip in position for the continuous operationof the device for its maximum load of windings. Thus, the cutting knifecan be drawn along the length of the cardboard strip, protecting thesharpened blade and requiring a resharpening at relatively infrequentintervals.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a very novel form of pullingand winding device for connecting threads of knitted textile articleshas been provided. The structure is simple, is positive in operation andresults in a very considerable saving of time over the hand pullingmethod which, in actual practice required approximately 30 seconds foran operator to hand pull the threads, while the device of this inventioncompletely pulls and winds the thread in approximately seconds.

'The thread is all completely wound upon the drum in a relatively evenroll, since the pins 21 are spaced along the length of the drum 19. Thepins 21 as arranged in the manner shown always presents at least one pinupstanding for the reception of a thread to be hooked thereon. While butfour pins have been illustrated, it will be apparent that a greaternumber may be employed with equal success, but it has been found thatthe use of four pins in staggered relation always permits at least onepin to be upstanding when the machine is at rest. The device is strong,durable, cheap to manufacture and is highly efficient and economical asa means of pulling and winding the connecting threads of textilearticles.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the preciseconstruction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fallwithin the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scopeof the subjoined claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by- Letters Patent is:

1. A thread pulling and winding machine and whereby a connecting threadbetween continuously knitted textile blanks is pulled outwardly toseparate the individual blanks and to wind the thread upon anaccumulating drum, the machine embodying in combination a work table forthe manual shifting support of the knitted blanks and a pulling andwinding device comprising an elongated drive shaft that is rotatablyjournalled upon a support, means for intermittently driving the shaft,the shaft being extended outwardly beyond one journal, a winding drumthat is engageably over the extended shaft to be concentric thereto, thedrum being cylindrical and open at its opposite ends, a relatively fixedcollar carried by the shaft extension and whereby to engage within oneopen end of the drum, a second collar engageable upon the outer end ofthe shaft extension to have an engagement in the opposite open end ofthe drum, means to fix the collars upon the shaft to rotate therewithand means to fix the drum to the collars, outwardly extending pins thatare spaced'apart longitudinally of the drum and with the several pinsalso being circumferentially staggered with respect to the drum, thepins constituting projections upon which the thread being pulled isinitially hooked.

2. The structure according to claim l, wherein the drum is aperturedtransversely for the insertion of the pins, the apertures beingequidistantly spaced along the length of the drum, the apertures alsobeing circumferentially staggered around the drum and whereby pinsinserted therethro-ugh will be radially disposed and whereby one pinwill be approximately upstanding when the rotation of the drum isinterrupted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,735,158 Wilson et al Feb. 21, 1956 2,779,084 Kastrinsky ..V H Jan. 29,1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,098,533 France Mar. 9, 1955

